Luke 5:17, “And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them”

Forces against the workings of the Lord come in many ways, in those opposing times, in faith the Lord arises to demonstrate His power.

It was Jesus custom to teach and perform miracles. On one particular day reported in Luke 5:17, He was teaching those who were opened to hear the Word of God, and there came from a far Pharisees and doctors of the law. You would imagine that they were there to hear the Word of God, contrary. An important binary in the NT is the opposition between law and love. Accordingly, the NT presents the Pharisees as obsessed with man-made rules, traditions (especially concerning purity) whereas Jesus is more concerned with God’s love. The Pharisees scorn sinners whereas Jesus seeks them out. They were always opposing what Jesus was doing. In the presence of all the opposing sides, the bible says, “…thempower of the Lord was present to heal them”, who are them? those whose hearts were opened to receive by faith despite who they were.

We now have to understand the power talked about here and it’s effectiveness before we can see if we need it. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines power as the ability or strength to perform an activity or deed. Power is sometimes used with the word authority. If power suggests physical strength, authority suggests a moral right or privilege. Those born of God require power in their lives to live for God. Many times we do things in our own strength unaccompanied by the power of God. No person at no time, now or then could ever do anything that would please God apart from God’s power. Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”. I have quoted this verse many times, but today it hits me from a different angle and that is the last part “according to the POWER that works within us”. God is able to do more in believers because of the presence of His power in them. I am learning that this verse is irrelevant in my life if the power is not first present. The last part enables the first part to be effective in one’s life. Acts 1:8 tells us what drives the power, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses…,” The disciples could not accomplish God’s work by their own strength, they needed power, not power for their own programs but power to fulfill the call of God in their lives for His glory.

Where there is power, there are opposing agents and we see it at the current situation with the Pharisees and the doctors of law when they appeared. Pharisees in this case are the discouraging agents and the doctors of the law represent facts closing every avenue of victories because they represent impossibilities. You and I have to learn that despite the Pharisees and the doctors of the law present, the power of the Lord is present to heal (not just physical). The power of the Lord was present before they arrived and their arrival did not change or minimize it, if anything, I say their presence intensified it. It was mighty to heal them; it was exerted and put forth to heal them, to heal their souls, to cure them of their spiritual diseases, and to give them a new life, a new nature.

We need to pray more that God will empower us with His Holy Sprit and then according to the power that works within us, we can be healed both spiritual and physical of whatever we are facing. You may have been trying to break a habit by yourself, God’s power is present to heal you of it. You may have opposing factors, may you be reminded they have no ability to terminate the power. It’s there for you and for me. A victorious life is not out of human strength. You cannot be saved without it and you cannot concur sin without it. Let’s call on God to increase His power in us, blessings Ev.